Frank de Pass

Frank Alexander De Pass
File:VCFrankAlexanderDePass2.jpg
Born	26 April 1887
Died	25 November 1914 (aged 27)
Place of birth	Kensington, Middlesex, England
Place of death	Festubert, France
Buried at	Bethune Town Cemetery
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Indian Army
Years of service	1906 - 1914†
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Royal Horse Artillery 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Victoria Cross

Frank Alexander de Pass VC (26 April 1887 – 25 November 1914) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the first person of the Jewish faith and the first Indian Army officer to receive the VC during World War I.

De Pass was born on 26 April 1887 to Eliot and Beatrice of Kensington, London. He attended Rugby School. He was 27 years old, and a Lieutenant in the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 24 November 1914 near Festubert, France. He was killed in battle the next day, 25 November.

Lieutenant de Pass entered a German sap and destroyed a traverse in the face of the enemy's bombs. Subsequently he rescued, under heavy fire, a wounded man who was lying exposed to enemy bullets in the open. Lieutenant de Pass lost his life in a second attempt to capture the sap which had been reoccupied by the enemy. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London.

References

• National Army Museum
• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)